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Wilmington officials sorry to see Bruins leaving

By Chelsea Feinstein, cfeinstein@nashobapub.com

Updated:
07/13/2014 09:17:55 AM EDT

WILMINGTON -- With longtime tenants the Boston Bruins set to leave Wilmington's Ristuccia Arena in 2016, Wilmington officials and local business owners are preparing for the loss of what had long been a source of hometown pride.

An announcement on the Bruins team website Tuesday said that the team had signed a long-term lease agreement to build a new practice facility in Boston's Allston-Brighton neighborhood, in a mixed-use development called Boston Landing.

Selectman Michael Champoux said that while he didn't think there would be a significant financial loss to the town, the Bruins would be missed for other reasons.

Mattie DePasquale, owner of Rocco's Restaurant

"It's more of a loss of pride a little bit. I was awfully proud to be the host town of their practice facility for all of the years that they were here, through winning the Stanley Cup and being a contender in the NHL," Champoux said. "We've had a long tradition of having them in our backyard and knowing that they're welcome here."

The Bruins have practiced in Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington since 1987. The new facility is expected to open in fall 2016, with construction beginning next spring.

Having the Bruins in town had benefited local children and families, who could go to watch practices, Selectman Louis Cimaglia said.

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"It was nice for the town to have that kind of local connection to a Stanley Cup championship winning team," Cimaglia said.

Mattie DePasquale owns Rocco's Restaurant, directly across the street from the entrance to Ristuccia Arena.

Although he doesn't foresee a major financial impact on his business, with the exception of the loss of takeout meals ordered by the team, DePasquale said he'll miss having the team next door.

Over the years, he said, dozens of Bruins players have eaten in the restaurant. Before the dining room was renovated, he had portraits of those players lining the walls.

"It is a pride thing that we are the ones that have the training camp. When you say the Bruins practice in Wilmington, you'll see it in the paper or you'll hear it on talk radio, they'll say the Bruins practice in Wilmington," DePasquale said.

The larger financial impact came a few years ago, he said, when the team stopped hosting rookie games on Thursday nights that sometimes brought in large crowds.

He described the relationship between the Bruins and Rocco's as a quiet, but strong one, and said he'd enjoyed meeting players and team officials over the years.

Mark Zeng, manager of Golden Ginger restaurant nearby, said that while usually there wasn't a big impact from having the Bruins down the street, occasionally the restaurant would receive slight bumps in business.

Having the team in town was better than the alternative, he said.

"There's no doubt any business coming to the area definitely would help," Zeng said.

Since the Bruins practice at Ristuccia Arena through a contract with the arena owner, the team doesn't pay any money directly to the town, according to Town Manager Jeff Hull.

Beyond that, Hull said, the financial impact on local businesses was difficult to quantify.

"I suspect there may be some impact in terms of some of the local restaurants perhaps, but I don't have any specific knowledge about the amount of money that is spent by the players or people who may go to see practices and so on," Hull said.

But some, including Hull, said the move could have a silver lining -- the possibility of more ice time for local youth hockey teams.

Hull said that any decisions on future uses of the facility would be up to Rotundo, but that the team's departure could possibly open the door for local groups to have more practice time.

"It would certainly be nice if the youth hockey and the Wilmington High School hockey team were able to get additional time there," Hull said.

Selectman Mike Newhouse said that having the Bruins in town had not brought much pride or money into the town, and had taken valuable practice time away from residents.

"The reality is that Wilmington residents and particularly youth groups haven't been able to avail themselves of the rink, nor have groups from other towns, and that's too bad," Newhouse said.

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